The following exchange between former New Jersey Governors Brendan T. Byrne and Tom Kean took place in a teleconference last Wednesday.

Q: Can Bret Schundler - a candidate proudly to the right of center - get a majority in a state that is very much in the center, if not slightly to the left of center?

BYRNE: Well, my son Tom thinks it's a question of whether this is like Byrne-Sandman or Brown-Reagan. Remember, Reagan was viewed as the right-winger who beat Pat Brown in California years ago when California was a liberal state. If Schundler can duplicate Reagan's strategy, he's a threat.

KEAN: He's not an extremist. He likes to quote Abe Lincoln, and he's been a mayor of one of the most Democratic cities in the state.

BYRNE: And "extremism in defense of liberty is no vice." For all the kids out there, that's a Goldwater quote.

KEAN: I've never completely agreed with that quote. But, in the end, I believe New Jersey voters will look at a candidate in terms of how he'll affect their lives, particularly in terms of jobs, schools and taxes. And perhaps open space, the environment. And I would think those are the areas the candidates will debate on. In that kind of debate, they'll both have something to say.

Q: Did Schundler win or did Franks lose? That is, was Franks seen as an anointed successor candidate with the combined baggage of Christie Whitman and Donald DiFrancesco, which was just too much to overcome? Or did Schundler manage to convince enough people he has charisma and represents change?

BYRNE: I don't think Franks has been a real factor in the last two elections. Corzine was the issue last year, and Schundler was the issue this year.

KEAN: Given the time he had, I think Franks ran a pretty good campaign. To be brought in suddenly, with so short a time to define the issues, raise the money and campaign, he did very well - particularly up against the kind of charisma Schundler has.

BYRNE: Franks criticized Corzine last year in terms of his spending ability, and this year he had the money and it didn't help.

KEAN: The one thing I liked, as a Republican, was that the candidates showed a lot of class on election night. Franks' concession speech was as classy an act as I've seen in a long time. And Schundler's talk about his vision - with no notes, no script - was outstanding.

BYRNE: I still have my '77 concession speech. It was great.

KEAN: I have mine from '81.

BYRNE: Mine started, "Nobody made the quote of the day with a concession speech."

KEAN: Adlai Stevenson did, when, after losing the election to Eisenhower, he said, "I'm too old to cry, but it hurts too much to laugh." Except that, like most Democrats, Stevenson stole that line from a Republican, Abe Lincoln.

BYRNE: Incidentally, all that political wisdom on low turnout was wrong. The turnout was the highest since you ran, Tom.

KEAN: I thought, at least in my area, that the party organization worked hard for Franks.

Q: There's been nothing in Schundler's campaign that invokes phrases like "continuing in the proud tradition," etc. He's focused on change - eliminate Parkway tolls, anti-abortion, repeal Mount Laurel. Can you win by, in effect, running against your predecessor when your predecessor is a member of your own party?

BYRNE: McGreevey's running on Tom Kean's record. I'm serious about that. He mentions you all the time.

KEAN: If that's true, I'm flattered. I don't think Schundler will run against Whitman, although if he runs against Trenton, there's an implication there. He's going to run to clean house. Whitman wasn't responsible for Mount Laurel, or for the tolls on the Parkway. The positions Schundler holds are not necessarily against Whitman.

BYRNE: She wrote her own epitaph when she said she wanted to be known as first woman governor of New Jersey. Betty Boop could have said that.

KEAN: Well, our children and grandchildren will have a lot of open space thanks to Christie Whitman.

BYRNE: Not in the Pinelands.

Q: Does Schundler's win make McGreevy's job harder or easier?

BYRNE: I think it gives McGreevey an opportunity to run against a right-wing Republican in a state that has constantly rejected right-wingers.

KEAN: I think both these candidates could have given Jim McGreevey a race, but it's a totally different race with Schundler. Franks would have been a good candidate, but traditional in his positions. Schundler is the outsider. He has some positions McGreevey is going to have to address. Is he for tolls on the Parkway, or not?

BYRNE: What made you express a strong preference for Franks, Tom?

KEAN: First, he's one of my oldest friends. I also thought he would be a stronger candidate for the fall, but I may have been wrong about that.

BYRNE: So it wasn't an issues decision?

KEAN: No, it was not.

Q: Can a candidate who supports carrying concealed weapons and opposes abortion win in New Jersey?

KEAN: Yes, if he doesn't try to impose his will on people. He may have a point of view that's pro-life, but if he's not going to try to change the law and impose his will if people don't agree, it's not a problem. As for concealed weapons, he's not talking about the rule but the exception.

BYRNE: You're basically saying, "Don't worry about my position on the issues."

KEAN: I'm saying he'll concentrate on the big issues - jobs, schools, environment, taxes. And that's what the debate should be about.

Q: What does the primary result say about the New Jersey Republican Party? Does Schundler's victory prove its conservative wing is more potent than anyone thought? And were the moderates who backed Franks - including you, Gov. Kean - also losers on Tuesday night?

KEAN: No, I don't think so. I think what it says is Schundler proved to be an extraordinarily attractive candidate, not just to conservatives but to a number of other people in the party, as well.

BYRNE: Really, the issue is how close are the Republican legislative candidates going to come to Schundler in the fall campaign.

KEAN: The Republican Party, thank goodness, is broad enough to bridge disagreements. They're not like the Democrats, who sometimes like to march in step.

BYRNE: Will they invite Schundler to their campaign rallies?

KEAN: I would assume so.

BYRNE: Some of my best friends didn't invite me in '77.

KEAN: I was invited more toward the end of my campaign, when my polls were much better, than in the beginning. But you're right, if he takes off in the polls, everyone will want him. If it's October and the polls are running badly, they won't.

Q: DiFrancesco blames Schundler for his own demise, and is not offering words of support even now. What impact will that have?

KEAN: My hope is that Gov. DiFrancesco and the mayor will get together and talk, and that the Governor will find himself able to support Schundler. But we'll have to wait and see.

BYRNE: Yes, Donnie doesn't have a mean bone in his body. And I think he's a Republican who will remain a Republican.

Q: How will this contest affect the power balance in the Legislature?

BYRNE: That depends on the top of the ticket. If Schundler proves to be a very popular candidate, he'll keep a Republican Legislature. If he turns out to be Charlie Sandman, only the Tom Keans will be left. And, by the way, I don't think McGreevey will kill Schundler. It'll be a close election.

KEAN: That's my feeling as well. They're two good candidates. I like and respect Jim McGreevey, and Schundler will benefit from his own charisma.

BYRNE: Well, he starts off with 200,000 votes. All he needs is a million more.

Q: What do you see as McGreevey's and Schundler's vulnerabilities?

BYRNE: McGreevey's vulnerability is that there are two people in the race and Schundler is one of them.

KEAN: I suspect we'll get a very close look at the workings of Woodbridge and Jersey City. That could be their vulnerability or their strength. It depends on what comes out, because that's what they've been doing.

BYRNE: In the old days, if we had a candidate from Jersey City, we could count the votes now.